Conveyer structure



Oct. 18, 1932. STANLEY 1,883,054

CONVEYER STRUCTURE Filed May 8, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W,M@ m4 Oct. 18, 1932. p STANLEY 1,883,054

CONVEYER STRUCTURE Filed May 8, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fauenfar Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ABBA P. STANLEY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE JEFFREY MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO; A CORPORATION OF OHIO CONVEYER STRUCTURE Application filed May 8, 1930. Serial No. 450,755.

The present invention relates to conveyors, and particularly to novel means for guiding material from one conveyer trough to a second trough mounted for pivotal movement relative to the first.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown my invention as applied to a coal loading machine, such as is disclosed in the copending application of Nils D. Levin, Serial No. 450,742, filed May 8, 1930. .According to this machine, a substantially horizontal conveyer section has its delivery end arranged above the receiving end of a second conveyer, the latter being supported for pivotal movement about a vertical axis at its receiving end. The draft devices of each conveyer travel between side walls, and a gap is left between the side walls of the two conveyers in order to permit their pivotal adjustment. The receiving end of the second conveyer is formed as a hopper, and my invention relates to the provision andmounting of flexible wall elements between the side wall ends of the two conveyers, these wall elements forming side walls for the hopper and serving to prevent the loss of material therefrom and to guide the material from one conveyer to the other.

I have shown an embodiment of my inven tion in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the devices of my invention as applied to the above mentioned machine.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the adjacent ends of the two conveyors, and

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the rear conveyer.

Referring to the drawings, two associated conveyors, Figure 2, are designated generally as A and B. The conveyer A comprises a pair of side walls, of which one is shown at the side walls being connected by means of bottom plate 6 and a return guide plate 7 for the conveyer chains, one of which is shown at 8. The conveyer, as a. whole, is mounted in a trough or channel of a supporting frame defined laterally by vertical plates, whose ends are shownat 9 and 10.

Beneath the end of conveyer A and secured to the main supporting frame, .is a

bracket 11 having integral therewith a ring 12, to which are secured bearing'rings 13 and 14. Between the latter rings is rotatably mounted a ring 15, having an inwardly extending radial flange, to which is secured a casting 16 which supports a frame upon which conveyer B is mounted, this latter frame including trough defining walls 17 and 18. The conveyer B includes a pair of chains 19 and 20, between whichflights 21 are secured to travel over a bottom plate 22.

The receiving end of plate 22 is substan-' tially horizontal, but inclines upwardly in the rearward direction. At the horizontal portion of the plate is supported on casting 16 a hopper casting 23. It will be evident that conveyer B may be swung relative to conveyer A about a vertical axis at the center of ring 12, and that in all relative angular positions of the conveyors, hopper 23 willbe directly below the delivery end of conveyer A to receive material from the latter.

Pins 24 and 25 are mounted at the ends of side walls 9 and 10 by means of top brackets 26 and 27, and bottom brackets of which one is shown at 28, Figure 2. A plate 29 preferably of metal, ishinged to pin 25 by means of clips 30 and 31, these abutting brackets 26 and 28, respectively, to prevent displacement of plate 29 longitudinally of the pin. A plate 32 is similarly mounted on pin 25.

Secured to the rear margins of plates 29 and 32 by means of clamp bars 33 and 34, are flexible webs 35 and 36.

Sidewall 18 of the supporting frame forconveyer B terminates upwardly at substantially the same height as side wall 10, and supports between a pair of brackets 37 and 38, a vertical, roller 39 in contact with the inner faceof which web 36 is passed. Thence the web is passed into contact with an angled guide plate 40, roller 39 and plate 40 engaging opposite sides of the web. The web extremity has secured thereto by means of a clamp 41, a strand or cable 42 which is passed rearwardly about asheave 43 supported between brackets 44 and 45 mounted on a frame member 46. From sheave 43, cable 42 is passed forwardly about a pair of sheaves 47 and 48, mounted on a frame member 49. Thence, the cable is passed rearwardly around a. sheave 50, mounted in a movable block 51. From sheave 50, the cable is passed around a pair of sheaves 52 and 53, similar to sheaves 47 and 4:8, and rearwardly about a sheave 5l'SUPPOIt6Cl between a pair of brackets 55 and 56 mounted on member 46. The cable extremity extends forwardly from sheave 54, and is secured to the extremity of bolts 60 and 61 through an aperture in yolre 62 and through an aperture of a second yoke 66 slidable on bolts 60 and 61. At its tiireaded extremity, bolt 65 is provided with a nut 67. A spring 68 surrounds bolt 65 between yokes 62 and 66, and tends to force the latter apart, thus tensioning cable 42. By adjusting the nuts, the force of spring 68 may be varied as desired.

It will be evident that the compensating cable and its tensioning means will retain webs 35 and" 36 in a taut condition at all times, permitting their alternate extension and retraction as conveyer B is swun relative to conveyer A, so that at all times they will be in proper material guiding position. Inasmuch as guide elements 39, 40 and 58, 52) engage both sides of webs 35 and 36, respectively, the latter will always be trained in proper relation to the ends of walls 17 and 18. Inasmuch as portions 29 and 32 of the auxiliary material guiding means rec ive the greatest wear, these portions are preferably constituted by metal plates, as described. I

It will be noted that the auxiliary wall elements have been shown and described as extending between side walls which do not constitute the side walls proper of the'conveyer troughs. It will be understood, however, that the wall elements may be equally well applied directly to the acent ends of the side walls of conveyor troughs, nd the combination which has been described is merely an illustrative application of the invention. Y

I claim:

1. The combination oi? a pair of troughs each including side andbottom walls, one ot the troughs being disposed relative to the other to deliver to an adjacent receiving end of said other, one of said troughs being mounted for pivotal movement'about an axis at its'end adj acentthe other trough and substantially perpendicular to its bottom wall, there being a gap between the adjacent ends of the side walls of the two troughs to permit swinging movement of the pivoted trough relative to the other, extensible and contractible wall elements extending between the respective side walls of said troughs to guide material from one to the other in all of their relative angular positions, means for anchoring said wall elements at one end at the side wall ends of one of the troughs, and tensioning means in connection with the other ends of said wall elements.

2. The combination of a pair of troughs each including side and bottom walls, one of the troughs being disposed relative to the other to deliver to an adjacent receiving end of said other, one of said troughs being mounted for pivotal movement about an axis at its end adjacent the other trough and substantially perpendicular to its bottom Wall, there being a gap between the adjacent ends of the side walls of the two troughs to permit swinging movement of the pivoted trough relative to the other, extensible and contractible wall elements oining the respective side walls of said troughs, and yieldable means for tensioning said wall elements whereby the latter form guides for material moving from one trough t0 the other in all of the relative angular positions of the troughs.

The combination of a pair-of troughs each including side and bottom walls, one or" the troughs being disposed relative to the other to deliver to an adjacent receiving end of said other, one of said troughs being mounted for pivotal movement about an axis at its end adjacent the other trough and substantially perpendicular to its bottom wall, their being a gap between the adjacent ends or the side wal s of the two troughs to permit swinging movement of the pivoted trough relative to the other, extensible and contractible wall elements extending between the respective side walls of said troughs, means for anchoring said wall elements at one end at the side wall ends of one of the troughs, and rollers mounted at the side wall ends of the other trough for guiding the other ends of said wall elements.

4. The combination of a pair of troughs each including side and bottom walls, one of the troughs being disposed relative to the other to deliver to an adjacent receiving end of said other, one of said troughs being mounted for pivotal movement about an axis at its'end adjacent the other trough and sul stantially perpendicular to its bottom wall, there being a gap between the adjacent ends of the side walls of the two troughs to permit swinging movement of the pivoted trough relative to the other, extensible and contractible wall elements oining the respective side walls of said troughs, means anchoring each of said elements at one end at the end 'of a side wall of one of said troughs,

means guiding the other end portion of each of said elements into overlapping relation to the ends of the side walls of the other of said troughs, and tensioning means in connection with said other end portions whereby said elements form guides for the material pass ing from one trough to the other in all of the relative angular positions of the troughs.

5. The combination of a pair of troughs each including side and bottom walls,one of the troughs being disposed relative to the other to deliver to an adjacent receiving end of said other, one of said troughs being mounted for pivotal movement about an axis at its end adjacent the other trough and substantially perpendicular to its bottom wall, there being a gap between the adjacentends of the side walls of the two troughs to per mit swinging movement of the pivoted trough relative to the other, extensible and contractible wall elements joining the respective side walls of said troughs, means anchoring each of said elements at one end at the end of a side wall of one of said troughs, means guiding the other end portion of each of said elements into overlapping relation to the ends of the side walls of the other of said troughs, and compensating means connecting said other end portions of said wall elements to maintain said elements in material guiding relation to the adjacent side wall ends in all angular relations of the troughs.

6. The combination of a pair of troughs each including side and bottom walls, one of the troughs being disposed relative to the other to deliver to an adjacent receiving end of said other, one of said troughs being mounted for pivotal movement about an axis at its end adjacent the other trough andsubstantially perpendicular to its bottom wall, there being a gap between the at jacent ends of the side walls of the two troughs to permit swinging movement of the pivoted trough relative to the other, extensible and contractible wall elements joining the respective side walls of said troughs, means anchoring each of said elements at one end at the end of a side wall of one of said troughs, means guid- 1 ing the other end portion of each of said elements into overlapping relation to the ends of the side walls of the other of said troughs, and a compensating strand connecting said other end portions of said wall elements to maintain said elements in material guiding relation to the adjacent side wall ends in all angular relations of the troughs.

7 The combination of a pair of troughs each including side and bottom walls, one of the troughs being disposed relative to the other to deliver to an adjacent receiving end of said other, one of said troughs being mounted for pivotal movement about an axis at its end adjacent the other trough and substantially perpendicular to its bottom wall,

there being a gap between the adjacent ends of the side walls of the two troughs to permit swinging movement of the pivoted trough relative to the other, extensible and contractible wall elements joining the respective side walls of said troughs, means anchoring each of said elements at one end at the end of a side wall of one of said troughs, means guiding the other end portion of each of said elements into overlapping relation to the ends of the side walls of the other of said troughs, a compensating strand connecting said other end portions of said wall elements to maintain said elements in material guiding relation to the adjacent side wall ends in all angular relations of the troughs, and

means tensioning said strand.

8. The combination of a pair of troughs each including side and bottom walls, one of the troughs being disposed relative to the other to deliver to an adjacent receiving end of said other, one of said troughs being mounted for pivotal movement about an axis at its end adjacent the other trough and substantially perpendicular to its bottom wall, there being a gap between the adjacent ends of the side walls or" the two trougns to permit swinging movement of the pivoted trough relative to the other, extensible and contractible wall elements oining the respective side walls of said troughs, means anchoring each of said elements at one end at the end of a side wall of one of said troughs, means guiding the other end portion of each of said elements into overlapping relation to the ends of the side walls of the other of said troughs, and tensioning means secured to said other end portion whereby said elements form guides for the material passing from one trough to the other in all of the relative angular positions of the troughs, said guiding means comprising a member at each side of and contacting with its associated wall element end portion.

9. In a conveyor, a pair of flexible wall portions at opposite sides of the conveyer, means anchoring said wall portions at one end, a strand connecting the other ends of said wall portions, and means tensioning said strand.

10. In a conveyer, a pair of flexible wall portions at opposite sides of the conveyor, m ans anchoring said wall portions at one end, uide means engaging the other ends oi said wall portions, a strand connecting said other ends, and means tensioning said strand.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 

